End of the line for Orange Blossom Cannonball

The Orange Blossom Cannonball, which gave families and tourists an old-fashioned steam engine ride between Tavares and Mt. Dora, will make its final run Sunday.

The Cannonball ferried thousands of visitors each year between the two Lake County train depots. It traveled at a leisurely 10 mph to make the 75-minute round-trip.

The popular tourist train failed to negotiate a new lease.

Florida Central Railroad did not renew the lease to Tavares Eustis & Gulf Railroad, owners of the train. The general manager for Florida Central Railroad said it was strictly “a business decision.”

“We had a fantastic five-year run and were happy to be a part of this neat historical business but we made the decision to pursue freight and storage opportunities along that line, said Matt Schwerin, general manager of Florida Central Railroad.

The only steam engine operating in Florida, outside of an amusement park. has a long history of service. Built in 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, the Cannonball was first used to carry logs through Texas. Then, it moved to Arkansas, where it pulled excursion trains.

As steam engines were phased out, it started a new career as America’s Movie Train on the television ABC mini series “North and South.” The Cannonball was used in 20 TV and film projects including “True Grit,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou” and “Rosewood.”

The reconditioned train arrived in Tavares in 2011.

Now it’s the end of the line for the Cannonball and its backup, the Lake Dora Limited, a 1941 diesel engine. The wood-burning train will run its scheduled route Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Passengers will be served cake to celebrate the locomotive’s 110th anniversary and its final run.

About The Author

The youngest of seven children, Terry O. Roen followed two older brothers into journalism. Her career started as a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, where she wrote stories on city and county government, schools, courts and religion. She has also reported for the Associated Press, where she covered the Casey Anthony and Trayvon Martin trials along with the Pulse massacre. Married to her husband, Hal, they have two children and live in Winter Park. A lifelong tourist in her own state, she writes about Central Florida’s growing tourism industry for Florida Politics and Orlando Rising.